Reaction
by L1701E
Summary: One Shot. Set after RogueFanKC's Nexus Nevermore. The West Coast Misfits react to the events of Nexus Nevermore in their own way. RR PLEASE!


**Reaction**

**Hello, fans! L1701E here! This is a one-shot set just after "Nexus Nevermore" by RogueFanKC, a good friend of mine, and it stars his version of the West Coast Misfit team. Basically, this is their reaction to the battle in San Francisco. This explains why even though they appeared in the earlier fic "For Truth, Justice, And the Last Cup of BA's Coffee", they never were even _mentioned_ in "Nexus Nevermore". I hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the Wildfires and the Starr Family. All others belong to other people.**

**- - -**

**Somewhere along the California coast**

In California, there was a military base. All that was known is that it was located somewhere along the coast. That base was home to the West Coast Misfits, an offshoot of the GI Joe-trained team of mutants called the Misfits. Their home was a charming-looking suburban-style home with red bricks. In the spacious living room sat Jinx, the former H.I.V.E. student, and the team's newest recruit. The young pink-haired black-clad spellcaster was watching television, when she happened to surf to the news.

"Well, look at that…" Jinx watched the press conference that the Charmed Ones were holding after the exposure of the existence of magic. "Looks like we're having a whole new set of problems."

"Will you turn that off?" A Boston-accented voice demanded impatiently. Jinx turned and narrowed her pink cat-like eyes at the voice's owner. It was a thirteen-year-old boy with collar-length brown hair, dressed in a black Undertaker t-shirt and blue jeans, with biker gloves.

"What's your problem, Kyle?" Jinx sighed. Kyle Wildfire was a young mutant boy from Boston. He was heir to a professional wrestling dynasty. Despite his youth, the young mutant was very powerful, thanks to his X-Gene granting him the power to fly and generate electrical power, which combined with his notorious hair-trigger temper, made the kid a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy.

"The Thunderbolt's sick and tired of hearing about San Francisco already! Jeez! Can't these people talk about something else already? Other things happened, you know! God!" Kyle stomped off, but not before shooting a lightning bolt at the TV, causing it to shut off.

"Hey!" Jinx exclaimed. Kyle grunted and punched a wall as he left the room, shoving past a blonde girl with a four-pointed star over her right eye, dressed in red.

"Hey!" Jenni Starr, aka the laser-blasting Shining Star, exclaimed. The blonde mutant turned to Jinx. "What was _that_ all about?" Jinx shrugged.

"I dunno."

"I kinda feel bad for him. Him and his older brother." Jenni sighed. "You know how they get here, right?" Jinx nodded. "Well, it's wearing on them. They're growing tired of living like they have to. I'm even beginning to see it wear on Jake. At he's a _lot_ more patient than Kyle." The young man Jenni was mentioning was not in the house at the moment. He was in the base's dojo.

"Uhn…" A sixteen-year-old boy grunted as he punched a heavy bag. He was wearing a sleeveless red t-shirt with black shorts. His bare arms showed he managed to keep himself in great shape. His shoulder-length bright red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Unusually, his hair had bright yellow streaks at the temples, a side effect of his mutant nature. His bright blue eyes shone intensely. He growled as he found himself punching the bag harder and harder, frustration building up inside him. His eyes started to glow, and with a roar, he hit the bag with one last mighty punch. The chain holding the bag up snapped, and the bag hit the floor. The young mutant took a deep breath, and spat out a stream of flame that hit the downed bag and set it ablaze. He took calming breaths through gritted teeth. He was Jake Wildfire, the elder of the Wildfire Brothers. Like his younger brother Kyle, Jake was a powerhouse mutant, despite his youth. He had the power to spit flames and fly, like the mythical dragon. He also discovered that he had the power to transform into a dragon. In his dragon form, Jake still had his personality and intelligence, but was more aggressive. In that form, he had a lot of other powers that were in common with the Incredible Hulk, including great strength, speed, durability, and a healing factor, which increased as Jake fought. Because of the great power of the Dragon Mode, Jake only used it as a last resort.

"Whoa, Jake. Maybe you should be a bit more careful, huh?" A feminine voice chuckled. Jake turned around and saw the brown-haired javelin-throwing Ranger called Lady Jaye.

"Sorry." Jake apologized calmly. "It's just…you know…" The red-haired young mutant codenamed Red Dragon sighed. "God…"

"Jake…" Lady Jaye put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "I know you're frustrated…"

"Don't get me wrong, Lady Jaye." Jake sighed. "I understand why GI Joe did this for us, but…" The redhead sighed. "I'm tired of it, Lady Jaye. I'm growing very tired of living low-profile like this. Having to be careful not to call attention to myself…it's driving me crazy. Look, I know why I have to go through this, but it's wearing me down. Look what it's doing to Kyle. It's making him go bananas! God, I am so sick and tired." Lady Jaye sighed. She had to admit, Jake and Kyle were having it rough. The situation they were in was driving them crazy. Kyle was undergoing the worst of it. He already had a bad temper, but being forced to be careful had made him more frayed. Jake, who was a lot more patient, was fine with it at first, but she could tell, it was starting to wear on him as well.

"I know, Jake. I wish there was something I could do."

"I'm tired of living like this, Lady Jaye." Jake sighed. "I really am. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in hiding."

"Jake, you know why you have to remain under the radar." Lady Jaye reminded. "If you're exposed, it'll endanger the others, too. Maybe you should go out."

"No point." Jake sighed tiredly. "No point at all. Why bother to go out? It's not like I can do much."

"Jake, it's not like that…" Lady Jaye tried to counter.

"Well, it feels like it!" Jake snapped angrily. He then sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just…my dad taught me and Kyle that hiding is never the best way to solve your problems. That the best way to deal with your problems is to face them head on." Jake looked down. "I feel like I got no reason to be here! Both me and Kyle feel like we're hiding like a couple of cowards! I don't fear them, Lady Jaye! And neither does Kyle!"

"Jake, you're not hiding." Lady Jaye reassured, patting Jake's shoulder. "I know you're a smart kid, so I know you understand why we have to keep you and your brother safe and under their radar. If you two expose yourselves, not only will you two get put in great danger, but you'll also put the other West Coast Misfits in danger. I know you don't want that."

"Yeah, I know…" Jake sighed. "But every day I'm here, I'm just growing more and more frustrated. I don't want to live my life like this! Hiding like a coward! I'm a Wildfire, Lady Jaye. Wildfires never run! My family's descended from colonists who fought for freedom in the American Revolution. My grandfather started a professional wrestling dynasty that has gone strong for around half a century! We've fought for everything we've had, and we stood up to those who tried to keep us down! And _this_ red-haired kid is not going to break tradition and-" Jake's frustrated tirade was interrupted by screaming.

"_RAAAAAAAAAAH!_" A young voice roared from outside. Both Lady Jaye and Jake instantly knew who it was.

"Oh no…" They both groaned. They ran outside, and they noticed Kyle unloading his rage on a jeep. With a roar, electricity cackled around Kyle's arms, creating a construct of a sledgehammer. The young hero grabbed the hammer and started using it to smash up the jeep.

"IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Kyle screamed in rage as he smashed the jeep.

"Oh no…" Lady Jaye moaned. Kyle roared as he continued smashing. The young man had lost his temper. Again.

"Kyle!" Jake exclaimed. "Calm down!"

"I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!" Kyle screamed. "I CAN'T LIVE IN HIDING ANYMORE! I AM NOT A COWARD!" He roared in rage, pouring volts into the jeep. The jeep exploded, and the temperamental young mutant fell to his knees. "God…" Jake walked over to his younger brother and kneeled next to him, wrapping his arms around him. "I can't live like this…I can't live like this…" Kyle whimpered, shaking his head. Jake sighed and looked up at Lady Jaye. The Ranger sighed in sympathy.

**Lila Cheney's Room**

The interstellar teleporter named Lila Cheney was lying on her bed. The dark-haired girl's room was very much like that of your average teenage metalhead, with some clothes scattered about, a few rock posters on the walls, and a shelf full of CDs. There was also a stereo and a TV with a DVD player. She had her hands behind her head, eyes closed, and a small smile on her face. Her ears were covered by headphones, which was connected to a small CD player that was lying next to her. She was bopping her head slightly to the music that was playing. A knocking was heard at her door.

"Lila?" A feminine voice asked from the other side. Lila looked up and took off her headphones.

"Yeah?" The dark-haired girl answered. Jenni Starr peeked in.

"Can I come in?" The blonde inquired. Lila shrugged.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well…" Jenni sighed. "Kyle just exploded on a jeep again."

"Oh, brother." Lila rolled her eyes. "You'd think he'd learn some emotional control."

"Well, he's always had an anger problem." Jenni sighed sympathetically. "It's just now…you know how he got here."

"Oh, yeah." Lila remembered. "Man, he and Jake really got into something deep."

"Yeah, and now they have to stay in hiding." Jenni nodded. "For them, it's like torture. Those Wildfire boys are born warriors. But enough about that…" She noticed a picture of the X-Men. "Where'd you get this?"

"Oh, Multiple gave that to me during the whole box lunch disaster." Lila smiled. "Nice kid. He'd make a great intergalactic thief. He's sneaky enough."

"I'm sure you'd know, Lila." Jenni chuckled, before noticing that Lila had drawn a heart in red gel pen around the head of one of the New Mutants. A big grin spread across Jenni's face. "_Lila's got a cru-ush, Lila's got a cru-ush…_" The interstellar teleporter's cheeks turned red and her eyes widened.

"Give me that picture, Jenni!" Lila snapped, trying to grab it. Jenni kept it just out of reach. "Give it to me, or I swear I'll teleport your butt into the sun!"

"Ah, go ride a comet!" Jenni teased, shoving the dark-haired girl back on her bed. The blonde then took another look at the picture. "Heh. I'm very surprised, Cheney."

"Surprised at what?" The interstellar teleporter grunted, crossing her arms.

"I'm surprised you got yourself a little crush on this particular guy." Jenni smiled. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he is nice and all…"

"Well, _I_ like him." Lila crossed her arms. "So what? It's a free country. I can like whomever I want."

"Not disputing you there, sister." Jenni snickered. "It's just you know that the other Misfit team wanted us to remain under the radar. As far as I know, the X-Men don't even know that we're Misfits. Which would be rather awkward if you ever get a chance to see him again."

"What surprises me is that they're able to keep it a secret this long." Lila shook her head. "Considering that blabbermouthed silver-haired jerk and the fact those X-Men have a couple really good telepaths on that team."

"I heard that that Toad guy also is known for running his mouth." Jenni remembered.

"Yeah, but unlike Quicksilver, Toad doesn't mean to blab stuff." Lila countered. "He just has no luck with it."

"Point." Jenni nodded. "I'm curious…" She pointed at the X-Man. "Why him?" Lila smiled.

"I don't know, to be honest." Lila shrugged. "Just…something about him appealed to me."

"Are you sure it's not because he lives in a big mansion full of valuables?" Jenni teased. "Whoa!" She ducked a pillow Lila threw at her.

"Jenni, you know I gave up the space thief racket!" Lila pouted.

**The base's dojo**

After hearing about the events of magic's exposure on the news, Jinx decided to go to the dojo and do some meditation. The young pink-haired hexcaster was slightly worried herself. She was lying in the garden, staring up at the sky.

"Hello, Jinx." A voice greeted. Jinx rolled around and looked up. She noticed a Native American woman looking down at her, clad in a pilot's uniform. She was Raven, a former Strato-Viper that eventually defected to the Joe team. **(1)** She was one of the six Joes that General Whithalf had chosen to be the elder mentors of the West Coast Misfits. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but the Starr Family grew on her. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, hello Raven." Jinx greeted back. She thought it was kind of funny that a Joe would share a name with one of the Titans, even though it was coincidental. "Is something the matter?"

"Well…" Jinx sighed. "I've been thinking."

"About what?" The Joe inquired.

"I've been thinking about what's been happening." Jinx explained. "Thanks to the events in San Francisco, the world now knows about the existence of magic."

"Yes." Raven nodded.

"I use magic myself, you know." Jinx told the pilot.

"So I have heard." Raven nodded.

"What are we gonna do?" Jinx inquired. "The news is spitting out reports of paranoia left and right. This is just as bad as when mutants were exposed." Raven nodded. "What'll we do?"

"To be honest, young one…" Raven admitted. "I have no idea."

"Is there anything we can do? Every magic user around is now a target." Jinx asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Jinx." Raven sighed. "I really don't. We can't force people to accept the fact that there are magic practitioners among them or to coexist with them."

"Yeah, but if the paranoia over mutants was bad…" Jinx shook her head. "People are going to _really_ freak out over magic. I think that a sorcerer with enough power can do a lot more damage than any mutant." She looked up at Raven. "Why? Why are people so paranoid? Don't they know that not all magic users are bad?"

"It's easier to lump them together and assume they're bad than to differentiate." Raven explained. "Not to mention people are scared. They're afraid that if people are given power, they'll use it to hurt people. And some are just plain jealous."

"I can understand the jealousy part." Jinx nodded. "Yeah. I can really understand that. But, it just seems so unfair."

"I know." Raven nodded sympathetically.

**The Motor Pool**

Craig Starr sat in a dark corner of the motor pool, keeping to himself as he liked to do. His long dark hair fell over his face, shadowing it. His face was further shadowed by the black star birthmark over his left eye. He generally didn't like being the center of attention, unlike his twin brother Paul.

_Man, what a mess my life has become._ Craig mentally grumbled to himself. _Growing up in a ghetto in LA, being in a street gang, discovering my powers…_ He smirked to himself. _I wonder if that jerk Willy's hand has healed up. I did put a little hole in it._ He then shook his head. _Found out I had a long-lost brother. Hooray._ Craig sighed.

"Hey, Cousin Craig." A feminine voice piped up. The dark-haired boy looked up and saw his blonde cousin Jenni, looking as rosy as ever.

_And then I find out I had other family. _Craig thought to himself. _Two cousins named Ace and Jenni. Ace is worse than Paul when it comes to women. He's always looking for a date. He's out 'crusin' for chicks' right now, as he'd like to say, and he brought Paul with him. As for Jenni…well, many would say she's a female version of Paul, but I've seen her demonstrate my temper at times. Until I met her, I felt like an outcast. I don't dress like a 1980s throwback like my cousins, so I kind of felt like the odd man out. That was, until I noticed Jenni's smirk. She's a lot like me._

"What're you thinking about, Craig?" Jenni blinked. Craig shook his head.

"Nothing." He answered.

"Craig, come on. I know you, man." Jenni crossed her arms. "I know that you come here to be by yourself. You like to be by yourself when you're thinking about something. What is it?" Craig sighed.

"Well, a lot." He answered. "All the insanity that's gone down, my family, where I'm at in life, how I got here…" Craig's thoughts then started to drift. Jenni noticed a certain twinkle in the boy's eye.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Jenni teased.

"I am not." Craig countered quickly. _Stupid Jenni! She's as bad as Paul sometimes! This is insane! What is it about that infernal Scarlet Witch that I can't stop thinking about? I have to admit, she's a lot different than all the other girls I have met in my life._ Craig sighed. "What're you talking about?"

"You're thinking about that Scarlet Witch girl again." Jenni grinned. "I know she's had an effect on you."

"What're you yakking about?" Craig grunted. His cheeks visibly reddened slightly. Jenni giggled.

"Oh yeah, you have driven her quite crazy." Jenni chuckled. "As her twin brother can testify to. You know, when he sent that scan from her diary over to us." **(2)**

"I never looked at it. It was none of my business." Craig grunted.

"I know. Neither did I." Jenni nodded. "But the others sure got some laughs. I heard Wanda choked Pietro so hard, his head nearly popped like a zit."

"Good for him." Craig grumbled. "And don't you _dare_ say I inherited that blasted family charm!"

"Well, you have to admit, you do have it." Jenni pointed out. "It's not as strong with you, but you do have it." Craig buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, God…" Craig groaned.

"So…" Jenni took a seat on a jeep and crossed her arms. "Tell me. What is it about Wanda you like?" Craig let out a sigh.

"I dunno…" He shrugged. "Just…something about her, you know?" Craig sighed. "She's not like other girls I see on tours. A lot of the girls I see back home in LA are vapid trampy airheads. Wanda is quite different."

"She's got actual _depth_, is what you're saying." Jenni nodded.

"…You could say that." Craig confirmed. "It's just…wait…why am I talking to you about this stuff?" Jenni smiled and shrugged.

"I got a talent for getting people to talk to me." Jenni grinned.

"Well, don't use it." Craig grumbled. "It's annoying."

"Aw, Craig…" Jenni sighed. "You know about San Fran, right?"

"Yeah." Craig shrugged. "Now people know about wizards and warlocks. I'm not surprised."

"Why?" Jenni blinked.

"People are already aware of those who get abilities from accidents and mishaps and mutations. They shouldn't have been surprised to learn that magic is real. After all, magic's been a part of myth and stuff for centuries. People have written books and made TV shows about witches and warlocks and dragons and all that stuff. Heck, they made a bunch of movies about some magic British snotty punk." The young mutant pointed out. "Now they find out that there are real witches and warlocks and stuff, they act horrified and surprised."

"Personally…" Jenni looked at her cousin. "You can't really blame people. This whole thing with magic's exposure has caught a lot of people way out of left field. How would you feel if you found out something you thought was fictional for centuries actually turns out to be real? Wouldn't you be shocked or surprised, too?"

"…Probably." Craig shrugged. "Although not much surprises me."

"I figured you'd say that." Jenni chuckled. "I'll leave you to brood. Well, daydream about Wanda, if you prefer."

"Just get outta here!" A blushing Craig snapped.

**That night, dinner time**

The members of the West Coast Misfits were sitting around the large dining room table. With them were six members of the GI Joe team: Lady Jaye, the jungle trooper codenamed Recondo, Raven, General Whithalf, Flint, Bazooka, and the communications officer codenamed Dial Tone.

"Bazooka!" Lady Jaye snapped at the jersey-wearing Joe. "Stop building things with your mashed potatoes! Just eat 'em!"

"I don't like mashed potatoes…" Bazooka whined.

"If you eat them, I'll play that football game you like with you." Lady Jaye offered.

"Deal!" Bazooka started scarfing down his mashed potatoes.

"Hey, may I have some more corn, please?" Paul asked sweetly, holding out his plate.

"Aren't you hungry, Kyle?" Jenni noticed Kyle was just picking at his corn with his fork. The electrokinetic had his head propped up on his arm.

"Not really." Kyle muttered. "I hate living like this. I can't take this anymore."

"I don't like it either, Kyle." Jake whispered to his brother. Kyle angrily threw down his fork and got up.

"Kyle!" Raven sharply called Kyle. The electrokinetic didn't respond. He only stomped off in a fit of anger, muttering. Jake sighed and got up.

"I'll go get him." The redhaired young mutant got up after his younger brother. The other West Coast Misfits looked at each other.

"He's losing it." Jinx sighed, shaking her head. "Kyle is losing it."

"You know how those Wildfires are." Flint nodded. "Born warriors. For those boys, having to live low-profile is not an option for them."

"They knew what they were getting into when…you know." General Whithalf reminded.

"I think they're regretting it." Ace stated the obvious. Kyle stomped into the living room. His fist started to crackle with electrical power. With a yell, Kyle punched a hole in the wall.

"You okay, Kyle?" Jake asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No! I'm not!" Kyle snapped. "I'm tired of living like this! I want outta here! I don't care anymore!"

"Hey, I'm sick and tired of it, too Kyle." Jake sighed. "But we do have to lay low. If they find out that…"

"Let 'em come!" Kyle snapped angrily. "Let 'em all come! I don't care! I can take 'em all! I don't fear them!"

"Kyle, I don't fear those clowns, either. You know why we did what we did…"

"Jake, if…" Kyle shook his head. "If something bad happens, we have to help. And how can we do that from here?" Jake sighed. "And don't you act like you're fine with this! I know you, big brother! You hate having to lay low just as much as I do! There is a possibility that we have to spend the rest of our lives like this."

"…I know, Kyle." Jake admitted. "I sincerely doubt it, though."

"Yeah, but the possibility is there! By God, man, I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this!" Kyle snapped. "You and me both want the same thing, man! How are we supposed to live up to the legacy, man! All I ever wanted in life was to wrestle like Dad and Grandpa! To be a champion! Now I don't think we'll be able to do that!" Jake sympathized with his younger brother. From the day they were born, all the Wildfire Brothers wanted to do was wrestle, and add on to the legacy of the Wildfire Wrestling Dynasty. The thought of not being able to live that one dream unnerved Jake badly.

"…I hope not." Jake sighed.

"We gotta do something!" Kyle grumbled. "I can't sit around and do nothing while the world goes Kablooie all around us!"

"If something bad goes down, we'll be in on it. Don't worry about it." Jake tried to reassure Kyle. But the hot-tempered anger-filled young mutant didn't want to hear it.

"When? WHEN? I'm sick of this!" Kyle stomped off.

"Kyle-!" Jake tried to stop his brother, but Kyle just stomped upstairs and slammed the door to his room. Lady Jaye overheard the conversation. The Ranger looked at Jake, who only shook his head sadly and went back to the table.

"That Thunderbolt is stubborn." Lady Jaye sighed.

"I wish that'd he'd see we're trying to help him." General Whithalf sighed.

"I don't think Kyle cares." Jake sighed. "When he gets angry, he tends to let his anger think for him." He shook his head. "I dunno where it comes from, but I don't blame him. I'm not exactly thrilled with having to stay low-profile myself."

"Hey man, it'll be alright." Ace reassured, putting a sympathetic hand on the redhead's shoulder. Jake shook his head.

"Tell that to my brother. Although I don't think it'll work." Jake sighed, looking up at the Joes. "He's angry at you guys, too. He thinks you don't care about what _he_ wants."

"We do care, Jake. It's just you and your brother are too valuable to us." General Whithalf explained. "If it weren't for the two of you, we wouldn't…"

"Again General, tell that to Kyle." Jake shook his head. "He doesn't care." The red-haired mutant sighed. He got up. "Sorry if I'm being rude. But I really don't feel like eating right now." He walked away from the table and out of the room. The Joes and the West Coast Misfits sighed and looked at each other.

"Man, things are not looking good." Ace shook his head. "The world's going more paranoid than Batman on a bad acid trip, and our two most powerful members are getting a super-severe case of cabin fever. What a day."

"Batman on a bad acid trip. I bet that would be good for a laugh." Craig let out a slight chuckle.

"Anyway, in happier news, I talked to our manager." Paul tried to change the subject.

"What'd he say?" Lady Jaye asked.

"Well, the guy loved all the controversy with mutants." Paul explained.

"Does he know you guys are mutants?" Flint wondered.

"As Kyle would say, 'It's none of your business'." Lila snickered. "He has no clue. We never told him. But he _has_ expressed interest in signing mutant acts. As he likes to say, 'There's no such thing as bad publicity'. He loves the controversy generated by the possibility of a mutant act."

"Isn't your manager that goofball in the Elvis suit?" Bazooka blinked.

"No, that was Elvis." Raven corrected. "Their manager is that goofball who gave himself the title of 'Colonel'."

"He's not a real Colonel, general." Bazooka told Whithalf.

"I knew that, Bazooka." Whithalf nodded. "He is dressed _far_ too gaudily for the military."

"Which leads to certain jokes, if you know what I mean." Recondo snickered.

"Oh, grow up." Jenni playfully took some mashed potatoes in her hand and threw them at Recondo, hitting him right in the face.

"Jenni!" Lady Jaye scolded. "That's not how we act at the table-HEY!" The brown-haired woman turned her head and glared at her husband Flint, who was grinning innocently, and had mashed potato on his hand.

"Oh, come on, Jaye." Flint snickered. "This is a GI Joe dinner. You didn't think this wouldn't happen, did you?" The Ranger's face formed an evil grin.

"Oh, _no_ Flint…" Lady Jaye told her husband in a sweet, syrupy voice. "I was just _waiting_ for this to happen." She then gave Flint a faceful of green beans.

"Oh, that is it, woman." Flint mock growled. "You are gonna get it now." With an evil smirk of his own, Flint gave his wife a faceful of chicken wings. Paul leapt up on the table.

"FOODFIGHT!" The young raven-haired mutant exclaimed. The kids and the Joes started throwing food.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Jenni laughed happily. "This is great! Here's some peas in your eye, Cousin Ace!" General Whithalf couldn't help but smile. He knew that there were some dark times ahead, but he also knew that this team could handle it, despite the problems it had.

**The Motor Pool**

Jake Wildfire sat on a tank in the base's motor pool. The young mutant sighed sadly and looked up in the sky, his blue eyes glowing with desperation.

_It's over._ Jake thought. _My life is over. I'll never live my dreams. My dream of wrestling glory, like my father and grandfather, shattered. Why do I go on?_ A tear came down his eye. _Why are the Joes doing this? This is unfair. I can take care of myself, and I don't need their help to deal with…_ He shook his head. _Oh God…please…please let me live my life again…_

**Kyle's room**

Kyle Wildfire's room was decorated with posters of wrestling legends on the walls, a desk, and on one wall, there was several filing cabinets, containing Kyle's comic book collection. The young mutant laid on his bed and sighed.

_I hate this._ Kyle thought angrily. _I hate them all. I hate the Joes, I hate my brother, I hate my teammates, I hate…_ He heard the sounds of laughter from downstairs. The anger-filled young mutant scowled. _Listen to them. I'm living in torture and they're **laughing! LAUGHING!** What's so funny? The fact that me and my brother are being denied the right to get our paws on those fancy jackasses? That every day we're still here, our pride dies a little more! We're Wildfires, dammit! We're heroes! Warriors! Fighters! Not cowards! _Kyle gritted his teeth and covered his ears with his pillow to try and drown out the laughing. He jerked over and found himself looking at a photo of the West Coast Misfit team, adults and teens. The photo was standing on a dresser next to Kyle's bed. The kids were kneeling and the adults were standing. The Thunderbolt's face softened for a moment as he stared at it. Suddenly, his face contorted in anger. With a grunt, he swiped his arm and knocked the picture off the dresser. _Screw them. Screw the Joes. Screw the West Coast Misfits. Screw the world. I don't care anymore. Let it go kablooie! It'd be their fault, anyway._

**(1) – A Strato-Viper is a type of Cobra pilot. They are basically Air-Vipers (standard Cobra pilots) with more experience in aerial combat. They all have to undergo a surgical procedure that allows them to better withstand the stresses that come with high altitudes and g-forces.**

**(2) – See RogueFanKC's "What Has Pietro Learned"**


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